ryan's new road bike

last saturday, we spent the morning going around to several yard sales, garage sales, moving sales, and estates sales in our area.  we weren't looking for anything in particular, we were just looking around for fun.  at one of the sales that we went to, we noticed that there was an old orange road bike propped up against the garage.  there was no price tag on the bike and we weren't even sure if it was for sale.  i asked the owner how much she wanted for it, and she said $65.  although it was a cool looking bike, it certainly was not worth that much because it needed a lot of tlc.

if you follow this blog, you know that we are really into biking.  we each have mountain bikes, and last summer we bought a tandem bike.  for a long time ryan has been interesting in also getting a road bike.  so, we decided to see if we could haggle the price down a bit.  surprisingly, i was able to negotiate the price down to $15!  (i was pretty impressed with myself.)

so, we added another bike to our bike collection.  we just love the bright orange color!  ryan cleaned it up and did a bit of work on it, and now it is looking great!  he already took it for a spin around our neighborhood, and he is looking forward to getting a lot of use out of it this summer.

we didn't know much about the brand of the bike, so we did some research.  it is a bridgestone kabuki skyway road bike that was built in japan in the 1970s.  apparently it was the first bike on the market to offer disk brakes as standard equipment.  we found this article from 1974 explaining the details of the bike.  pretty cool!

it's amazing what you can find at yard sales!

love, laurie

boulder field

after we went to quiet valley on sunday with my parents, we took a drive to boulder field at hickory run state park.  my family and i had been to boulder field once many years ago, so it was neat to go back and see it again.

boulder field is a massive field of boulders that sits on the northeast corner of hickory run state park.  it was created during the last glacial period 15,000 years ago from the continual freeze and thaw process.  as a glacier moved through the area, ridges broke apart into boulders.  the boulders accumulated on clay, sand, and ice at the base of the ridges.  during the summer months, the ice melted and carried the boulders down the valley to the location of the field.  when the glacier receded and melted, the drainage flowed through the field and washed away the clay and sand, leaving behind the immense stack of boulders.  this process occurred over thousands of years of glacial melt, resulting in a huge boulder field.

boulder field is 1,800 feet long, 400 feet wide and 10 feet deep!  the boulders in the field measure anywhere from a few inches to as much as 25 feet long.  boulder field is open as a national natural landmark and visitors can walk across the field on the boulders.

love, laurie

quiet valley

on sunday we took at trip to quiet valley with my parents.  quiet valley is a living historical pennsylvania german farm from the 1800s that is dedicated to the preservation and education of rural farm life.

my family has been going to quiet valley ever since i was a little girl.  we love to visit the farm in the spring and in the fall during their festivals to see the animals and to watch the demonstrations.  while we were there we saw so many baby animals!  we also ate freshly baked bread and cookies out of an outdoor oven, and we watched a demonstration in a one-room school house too.

love, laurie

memorial day 2014

we had the day off work yesterday for memorial day.  the weather was absolutely beautiful, so we packed up a picnic lunch and our mountain bikes and headed to a local park.  it was really nice to eat on a picnic bench next to the lake while enjoying the gorgeous warm weather.  after we ate, we took a bike ride around the lake.  the trail that went around the lake turned out to be not really conducive to biking at all, and we ending up having to walk our bikes most of the way around the lake.  it was the first time we took our bikes out for the season and we were really looking forward to biking, so we went to another nearby bike trail for some real biking.

when we came home, we cooked hamburgers on the grill for dinner and we had some apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  we finished off the night with a leisurely evening bike ride around our neighborhood and then a game of scrabble on our back porch.  it was a great way to spend memorial day!

^a picnic lunch next to the lake at merli-sarnoski park^

^biking (or mostly walking) around the lake trail^

^biking on the lackawanna river heritage trail.  we biked over 10 miles!^

^the trail runs between the river and the train tracks.  

it's always neat to see trains go by.^

^rock climbing . . . dare devil^

hope everyone had a great memorial day!

love, laurie

happy memorial day!

we are blessed to live in such a great place, 

and we are thankful for the men and women 

who have served and continue to serve our country!

happy memorial day!

love, laurie

hello, three day weekend!

i loved sharing pictures from our caribbean cruise with you this week and last week.  i hope you enjoyed them!  i can't believe that it is memorial day weekend already!  memorial day always feels like the unofficial start of summer, and i am ready for summer!  we're super excited to have the day off on monday.  i really hope the weather is nicer this weekend than it was this past week so that we can enjoy some time outside the next few days!  

have wonderful memorial day weekend!

love, laurie

10 tips for flying

summer is prime travel season, and lots of people find themselves on an airplane at some point during the year.  here are a few tips to help make your next flight more enjoyable . . .

1. stay hydrated.  airplane cabin air can really dehydrate passengers.  stay hydrated by drinking at least 8 ounces of water for every hour you are in the air, even if you don't feel thirsty.  avoid caffeine and alcohol before and during your flight.  caffeine can make you nervous, and both caffeine and alcohol can leave you dehydrated.  (also, did you know that one alcoholic drink in the air is the same as two or three on the ground?!)

2. chew gum.  i swear by this.  my mom and i are both really affected by the pressure change during takeoff and landing.  chewing gum stops your ears from popping during takeoff and landing.

3. sit near the front.  turbulence is most noticeable in the back of the plane.  try to sit as close to the front as possible.  (before you book your flight, check out seatguru in order to see the layout of your plane.)

4. wear your seat belt.  99% of turbulence-related injuries are from unfastened seat belts or falling luggage, so keep that seat belt fastened when you are in your seat.

5. fly overnight.  depending on where you are traveling, it can be helpful to book an overnight flight.  you can have dinner at a normal time, and you will be more likely to sleep on the flight.  this will help to avoid jet lag since it will be morning when you arrive at your destination.

6. keep yourself occupied.  flights can be boring, so bring something to do on the plane . . . a book to read, a movie to watch on a tablet, or a pack of cards / a travel game to play.

7. bring your own snacks.  not all flights serve meals or snacks, and when they do the food tends to be really expensive.  so, pack your own snacks at home but avoid anything too sweet or salty.  (i always like things like cheerios, granola bars, or nuts.)  you can even bring an empty water bottle and then fill it up at a water fountain at the airport to save money too.

8. pack a change of clothes in your carry-on bag.  you never know what might happen on a plane.  the flight attendant could accidentally spill a drink on you, or the kid sitting next to you could throw up on you.  planes are gross, and it could be hours until you are able to access the clothes that you packed in your checked luggage.  that's why it's a good idea to pack a change of clothes in your carry-on bag.

9. remember to breathe.  breathing deeply (in through your nose and out through your mouth) can calm your nerves.  if you tend to get nervous when you fly, remind yourself that the chances of being in a plane accident are about 1 in 11 million.  flying is the second safest mode of transportation in the world (second to elevators and escalators).

10. get some fresh air.  airplane cabins have humidity levels similar to desert climates.  this can cause headaches.  so, as soon as you get out of the airport get some fresh air to refresh yourself.

i'd love to know, what are some of your flying tips?

love, laurie

. . . 

(information found: here and here)